preface

Chapter 1 PITCHERS & CATCHERS

Types of pitches│Fastball│Curveball│Slider│Changeup│Split-finger fastball│Knuckleball│Screwball│Spitball│Easyball│Zaroball│Signs│Pitch selection│Location│Ball count│Balks│Off-day pitchers│Charts and videos│Maintenance│Complete games│Shutouts│Middle relievers│Setup men│Close-up pitchers│Talks from the mound│Tommy John│Cy Young Award

Chapter 2 Hitting

Lineup│Home run│Hit and run│Sacrifice bunt│Cleanup hitter│Standby standby│Ring pine│Fundamentals│Stance│Grip│Center shift│Swing│Follow through│Buddha boy│Switch hitter│Hit with two strikes│Score production│Power hitter│Hit ball│Broken bat and flying bat

Chapter 3 Baserunning

Rules│Force out│Tag out│Fly ball│Baseline│Strategy│Two runners on one base│Passing a lead runner│When hit by a batted ball│Two outs, full count│Oversliding│Hook sliding│Pop-up sliding│Takeout sliding│When not to slide│Pinch runner│Signs│The value of speed│Stolen base│Run and hit│Safety squeeze│Suicide squeeze│Hustle

Chapter 4 Defensive Fielding

Defensive formations│Ted Williams shift│Wheel play│No-double defense│Right-handed and left-handed│How many outs?│Back up the bases│Ball in the sun│Bermuda triangle│Infield fly rule│Stolen base without interest│Appeal│Outfield defense│Infield defense│Room service combination│
Short hop | In-between hop | Pitcher | Catcher | First baseman | Second baseman | Third baseman | Shortstop | Gold Glove Award

Chapter 5 Stadiums

Unique Stadiums│Fenway Park│Wrigley Field│Yankee Stadium│McAfee Coliseum│Coors Field│Minute Maid Park│Oriole Park at Kemp's Yard│Comerica Park│Metrodome│AT&T Park│Groundsman│AstroTurf (artificial turf)│Sun│Grounds
Name│Baseball field specifications and layout

Chapter 6 Umpires

Difficult Jobs│Fair Ball Quiz│Strike Zone│Safe│Out│Foul Tips│Hit by Pitch│Fair Ball│Ground Rule Double│No Catch│No Pitch│Ground Rule Double│Check Swing│Ejection│Ambiguous Decisions│Protests│All About Umpires

Chapter 7 Record STATISTICS

Numbers game│History of statistics│On-base percentage│Slugging percentage│Stolen base percentage│Winning percentage│Field percentage│Batting average│The last .400 hitter│Batting average calculation│ERA│Earned runs│ERA calculation│Extremely polar pitching records│Relief│Official scorer│Keeping up with the game│Positions and abbreviations│Reading the box score│Qualifications for the league leader title│Amazing achievements│Perfect game│No-hit game│Cycle hit│Inside-the-park home run│4 home runs in one game│30/30 club│Batting triple crown│Pitching triple crown│Consecutive hits│Consecutive innings without a run│Consecutive appearances record

Chapter 8: What is Major League Baseball? THE BASICS

Dreams│Draft│Road to the Major Leagues│League, Division, Team│Spring Training│Regular Season│Postseason

Chapter 9: The Basics You Need to Know About Major League Baseball

Reasons to catch it│K│Unwritten rules│City and team names│Rookie of the Year│MVP│All-Star Game│Hall of Fame│Uniform numbers│Cheating│Attendance│Rain games│7th inning stretch│Superstitions│Double switch│Magic numbers│Rosters, trades, contracts│Free agents│Majors
League scandal

Chapter 10: The Joy of Being on the Scene

Always chewing│Read your lips│Fighting with the dirt│Music│Sounds during the game│Announcer│Spin the ball│Current game situation│Hat│Intentional walk│Warm-up pitch│First baseman's ball│New ball│Fans of all kinds│Blinking eyes│Looking upside down│Mute button

Glossary: ​​Baseball Slang
Appendix A: Major League Baseball Record Room
Appendix B: Uniform Numbers

A guide to baseball from Jack Hample, America's most renowned baseball expert and baseball collector.
It contains all the skills and strategies of baseball, including pitching, hitting, base running, and defense.
It teaches you how to read and understand everything from the basic rules to the subtle nuances of strategy.
Here, we added fun baseball trivia, such as ‘baseball slang’ and various ‘records’.
Anyone can improve their baseball watching skills with this one book.
Let's enjoy baseball more smartly and enjoyably.


Is that pitch a curve or a slider?
Penetrate like a player, perceive like a commentator

If you listen to baseball broadcasts, you will notice that the commentators often talk about the pitcher's pitch type.
Chan-Ho Park, in his prime, was famous for his 'four-seam fastball' and 'curveball' with a lot of drop, and Hyun-Jin Ryu, who moved to the major leagues, showed his true value with his changeup.
How can there be so many different types of pitches? Even if you listen to the explanations of each pitch, it's still vague.
Unless you sit in the catcher's box and watch it, there's no real difference between a straight fastball and a curveball.
In the "Baseball Textbook," the trajectory of the ball and the grip for throwing the ball are explained in an easy-to-understand manner for each type of pitch that a pitcher can use.
It also clearly presents a wide range of knowledge related to pitching in real games, including signs, pitch selection, balks, and mound strategy.

Even in striking, a wide variety of techniques and strategies are required.
Indescribable preparation is required, including stance and grip, as well as a battle of wits with the opposing pitcher and batting methods according to the game situation.
That's not all. It doesn't end with a hit and advancing to base.
In order to somehow reach home safely and score a point, you must employ baserunning tactics that confuse the opposing defense, help the next batter hit, and ensure your own survival.
The same goes for defense.
They say baseball is a 'pitcher's battle,' but there's always a saying that behind a great pitcher is an even greater defense.


This book covers all the techniques and strategies that create the drama that is baseball, from pitching and hitting to baserunning and defense.
Anyone who has mastered all this knowledge will realize that baseball is not just about hitting, running, and scoring, but rather an art that organically weaves together a variety of detailed techniques.


A perfect balance of practice and theory
A Smart Baseball Textbook for Baseball Fans and Aspiring Players

Baseball is a sport of records.
Knowing all the records surrounding the game doubles the enjoyment of watching baseball.
Naturally, remembering records accurately is no easy task.
It doesn't just stop at who will be the home run king and win king this year.
Numerous statistics are presented surrounding the games that players play throughout the season, such as on-base percentage, slugging percentage, winning percentage, fielding percentage, and earned run average.
This is not only used as data for each team to analyze and defeat their opponents, but is also crucial when deciding where to place their own players and how to use them.
For example, if you know who has given up the most hits to left-handed pitchers with a runner on second base, you can immediately send that player out as a pinch hitter.
Conversely, the opposing team may send a strong pitcher to the mound to pinch hit this batter.
In this way, baseball is a game of strategy and tactics based on records.

Therefore, if we know how to understand various records more accurately, baseball is bound to become more fun.
You will be able to create your own batting order that suits the opposing starting pitcher.
You may also want to consider starting pitchers and defense that take into account the characteristics of the opposing batters.


This book introduces various records to help you enjoy baseball smartly.
For example, it provides knowledge that will help you interpret and understand the game, such as what on-base percentage is, how to calculate it, and in which order to place a hitter with a good on-base percentage.
In short, 『Baseball Textbook』 is a book that perfectly harmonizes practice and theory.
This is because the author did not write simply by browsing through baseball theories and textbooks in the library, but rather visited stadiums 365 days a year to observe, record, and analyze actual games.


Additionally, the author has clearly organized the 'baseball terminology' used in baseball fields.
Thanks to this, it can be used as essential material for watching and understanding baseball.
In particular, some of the terms include 'slang' that is difficult to understand if interpreted literally.
Furthermore, it explains terms related to various records that are usually written in English abbreviations.
For example, 'Quality Start' is written as QS and is accompanied by an explanation such as 'The record of a pitcher who pitched at least 6 innings and allowed 3 or fewer earned runs.'
Here, as a bonus, we also introduce some common knowledge about the jersey numbers of famous players.
This includes Chan Ho Park, who wore number 61, and the book introduces Chan Ho Park as one of the 25 or so players in American baseball history who went straight to the major leagues without going through the draft.